My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.

The Lord is near to the heartbroken
And He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).

He keeps all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.

The sword [of the ungodly] will enter their own heart,
And their bow will be broken.

For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord upholds and sustains the righteous [who seek Him].

Yet You have [distressingly] crushed us in the place of jackals
And covered us with [the deep darkness of] the shadow of death.

Make me hear joy and gladness and be satisfied;
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

He [my companion] has put out his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his covenant [of friendship and loyalty].

O God, You have rejected us and cast us off. You have broken [down our defenses and scattered] us;
You have been angry; O restore us and turn again to us.

Reproach and insults have broken my heart and I am so sick.
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.

Why have You broken down its walls and hedges,
So that all who pass by pick its fruit?

You have crushed Rahab (Egypt) like one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

You have broken down all his [city] walls;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

For He has shattered the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron apart.

Because the man did not remember to show kindness,
But persecuted the suffering and needy man,
And the brokenhearted, to put them to death.

We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The trap is broken and we have escaped.